Oil Industry Launches Ad Campaign to Repeal RFS (E15)

SEE ALSO: New Engineering Analysis Confirms E15 Safe for Use in Older Vehicles (Originally Published 9/15/2010)

The American Petroleum Institute is focusing its new ad campaign on what the Renewable Fuels Standard will cost consumers.

WASHINGTON July 17, 2013; The American Petroleum Institute (API) is taking its message that the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is costing consumers, The Hill reports. The ads, which are running in the Washington, D.C., area, as well as in several states, are on radio and television, plus print and online.

The “significant campaign” talks about how consumers will pay for RFS. “By mandating higher ethanol content in gasoline than is safe, it threatens American consumers, the investments they’ve made in their vehicles, and our economic well-being,” said Bob Greco, downstream director for the institute.

Biofuel groups are hitting back: “This is just more of the same from Big Oil. They will stop at nothing to maintain their near monopoly on the liquid fuels market, even if it means saddling consumers with ever increasing prices at the pump,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy.

The API media blitz is hitting just as Congress is holding hearings about biofuel-blending regulations. The institute wants to repeal the rule entirely because E15 is not good for car engines. Earlier, API asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency on E15, but the higher court refused to hear the case.

One of the first ads touches on that concern, warning that E15 and higher blends could harm engines. But a full repeal is not likely, although some lawmakers have sided with API on the issue. “We want a repeal bill to move this year,” said Greco. “But we also recognize that this Congress is not moving as quickly on a lot of issues as it should.”